Ways To Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally?
High blood pressure can be a huge nuisance, shunt blood through the body quickly causing damage. Blood pressure can be elevated for many different reasons and by different factors, it must be monitored closely. If the pressure is too high for the body to handle, severe issues can develop over time. Hypertension is considered a silent killer because many people don’t know they have it. It can lead to heart attacks, strokes and, and heart failure.
But first, why do we experience high blood pressure? It is natural to undergo spike in blood pressure, like during exercise or after a morning cup of coffee. But in the long run, if your heart consistently pumps out more blood than usual, the blood vessels becomes stiffer, your blood pressure remains high, which may lead to hypertension.
For a lot of people, even the thought of a doctor’s appointment can cause their blood pressure to rise. A medical appointment alone can be nerve-wracking, especially if you are uncertain whether you’ll have a clean bill of health. There is no easy way to lower blood pressure fast, but the good news is we can safely lower it overtime.
It is important to understand that it is dangerous to lower blood pressure too quickly. The heart and blood vessels carry blood to all parts of the body, most importantly to the vital organs like lungs and brain. A big drop in blood pressure can suddenly stop your brain from getting the continuous blood flow and oxygen it needs. The result is stroke and permanent brain damage.
Now that we have discussed that there is no safe shortcut to lower blood pressure, it is important to remember that there are many ways to lower it over time. Here is a shortlist of recommendations:
1) Exercise.
This is one of the drug-free approaches to lower blood pressure. Regular physical activity makes your heart stronger because it can pump more blood with less effort. The force on the arteries decreases thus, lowering your blood pressure if your heart can work less to pump.
If you have a desirable blood pressure – less than 120/80 mm Hg – correct exercise can help prevent it from rising as you age. It also helps you maintain a healthy weight, another way to control blood pressure. To keep blood pressure low, you have to do the exercise a habit. The impact of exercise took about one to three months and beneficial if you continue on the daily basis. Walking , biking or even stationary cycling, cycling, weight training and swimming are best examples of daily exercise to lower your blood pressure.
2) Low-Sodium Diet.
Many evidence shows a direct relationship between sodium intake and blood pressure values.
An excessive amount of sodium intake has been shown to produce a significant rise in blood pressure and linked with onset hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Lower sodium consumption decreases blood pressure levels and hypertension incidence. It is also associated with a reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A large study said that a large reduction in salt intake for a month or more causes a big fall in blood pressure in both hypertensive and normotensive individuals.
3) Limit Alcohol Intake.
Excessive alcohol intake can raise your blood pressure. If you’ve been diagnosed with hypertension most especially, your doctor will advise a reduction in alcohol consumption. Limiting alcohol intake can also prevent high blood pressure. You can limit alcohol consumption to not more than two drinks daily for men and not more than one drink for women. A drink is one 12 oz. beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80 proof spirits. Just like any other dietary or lifestyle choice, it’s a matter of moderation.
4) Make Stress Reduction a Priority.
An often-overlooked strategy in preventing or treating high blood pressure is stress management. The following are the ways to reduce stress:
Get enough sleep.
Learn relaxation techniques like meditation and yoga.
Strengthen your social network, connect with others.
Enhance your time-management skills.
Try to resolve stressful situations like having a family-problem session at home.
Nurture yourself, have a massage.
Ask for professional help if needed, especially when you experience depression and anxiety.
It is always important to include your doctor as part of the process to lower your blood pressure naturally. Some recommendations with regards to diet or physical activity can vary from person to person. Your well-being is important as you work towards lowering your blood pressure.